Natalie MacMaster

Canadian superstar fiddler and dancer Natalie MacMaster's tenth full-length recording doesn't deviate much from her usual formula, but considering the fact that her "usual formula" consists of filtering traditional Celtic music through the open-ended sieves of jazz, rock, country and Latin, the results are far from predictable. MacMaster is a peerless player, and here she starts things off with a fiery opener, the appropriately titled "Volcanic Jig," which sets the tone for Yours Truly. Backed by a small army of instrumental masters, airs like "Farewell to Peter" and traditional sets such as "David's Jig: David's Jig/Valerie Pringles' Reel" are precise examples of contemporary Celtic music, but with the exception of a horrifying version of "Danny Boy" sung by Michael McDonald (seriously, you lose a whole star for that kind of thing), it's when MacMaster takes the genre out for a walk that things get really interesting. The jaunty "Flea as a Bird" throws a little country and ragtime into the mix, "Cape Classico" balances the rigidity of classical violin with the bright lilt of Irish fiddle, and the full-on Celtic rock of "Matt and Nat's" gives the collection some serious cajones. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide